Public Consultation on the EU Commission Proposal for a Regulation on the Production and Marketing of Plant Reproductive Material (PRM)

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is seeking views on the EU Commission proposal for a Regulation on the production and marketing of plant reproductive material in the Union, amending Regulations (EU) 2016/2031, 2017/625 and 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Council Directives 66/401/EEC, 66/402/EEC, 68/193/EEC, 2002/53/EC, 2002/54/EC, 2002/55/EC, 2002/56/EC, 2002/57/EC, 2008/72/EC and 2008/90/EC.

Plant reproductive material (PRM) is plant material e.g. seeds, cuttings, trees, roots, tubers etc used for the reproduction of other plants.

The current EU legislation on PRM, comprising ten marketing Directives, has proven its success in guaranteeing the identity, performance, quality and health of all PRM. However, as it partly dates back to the 1960’s, the EU Commission adopted a proposal for a Regulation on PRM with the aim of ensuring a level playing field for operators across the EU, support innovation and competitiveness of the EU PRM industry and contribute to addressing sustainability, biodiversity and climate related challenges.

1. Increase clarity and coherence of the legal framework.

2. Enable the uptake of new scientific and technical developments and in particular, innovative production processes, bio-molecular techniques and digital solutions.

3. Ensure availability of PRM suitable for future challenges.

4. Support the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources.

5. Harmonize the framework for official controls on PRM.

6. Improve coherence of the PRM legislation with the plant health legislation.

The proposed regulation revises the legislation which applies to the production and marketing of PRM by replacing ten marketing Directives with a single regulation. The proposed regulation maintains the basic principles of the current legislation that varieties must be registered and PRM certified before that PRM can be placed on the market.

Registration refers to the listing of a plant variety in a national catalogue after confirmation of its characteristics through Distinctness Uniformity and Stability (DUS) testing. This ensures that it is distinct from other varieties on the market, uniform and stable. Registration also includes testing varieties for characteristics that can contribute to a more sustainable agri-food production system (Value for Sustainable Cultivation and Use).

Certification refers to the inspection in the field where PRM is produced and sampling and testing of the PRM harvested from those fields to confirm that PRM can be marketed.

The proposed regulation also increases the diversity of PRM on the market by offering a larger choice to all types of farmers and other users (e.g. amateur gardeners) and facilitates the conservation of this diverse PRM. This is achieved through simplified rules for conservation varieties and heterogeneous material and specific derogations for seed conservation networks and exchange in kind of seed between farmers.

The proposal also supports organic production by providing adapted rules for the testing of organic varieties. The proposal also provides for more choice for amateur gardeners by providing lighter rules on market access.

The Commission conducted the following consultations in the preparation of the proposal:

● Interviews with key stakeholders November 2021.

● Commission’s public consultation (January to March 2022).

● targeted surveys interviews and focus groups (March/April 2022).

● Feedback on Commission adoption of the proposal (July to December 2023).

The proposed Regulation can be viewed or downloaded here:

The Annexes of the proposed Regulation can be viewed or downloaded here:

The Impact Assessment accompanying the proposed Regulation can be viewed or downloaded here:

Feedback in writing should be submitted to the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine via e-mail with reference to “PRM Proposal” to: prmconsultation@agriculture.gov.ie

All submissions should include a short summary of not more than 300 words setting out the main points therein. Submissions from organisations or groups should include a brief background on the membership, aims and objectives of that organisation or group.

All written feedback to the proposal should be submitted by 4.00PM on 20 March 2024. Any submissions received after this deadline will not be taken into consideration.

We are committed to engaging with stakeholders in a clear, open, and transparent manner. Any person or organisation can make a submission in relation to this consultation. All submissions and feedback will be considered by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Please note that it is intended that all submissions received may be made available under the Freedom of Information Act 2014 (FOI) and will be published on the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s website.

In responding to this consultation, parties should clearly indicate where their responses contain personal information, commercially sensitive information, or confidential information which they would not wish to be released under FOI or published on the Department’s website.

We would like to draw your attention to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine's Data Protection Data Privacy Notice which is available on our website and explains how and when we collect personal data, why we do so and how we treat this information. It also explains your rights in relation to the collection of personal information and how you can exercise those rights.